A grand end to the day

Yes I know, we’re eating again! We head back to Zurich (the dining car that is, not Switzerland) and find that Miss MJ and Miss E have started ahead of us but are so rapturous about their food we join them and look forward to catching them up. What I didn’t realise last night is that if you sit next to the little brass lamp you are bathed in a pool of light but it you sit on the outside, it’s a little duskier. Fortunately for my photography Chad was on hand to set my plates briefly on an empty well-lit table to facilitate the recording. How much of a foodie diva am I, I even travel with my own food stylist!

The starter was a very tasty Mushroom crêpe – a blend of sautéed Mushrooms enriched with fresh herbs, Brandy, and Parmesan cheese then wrapped in a buttery crêpe and finished with a Port Wine reduction.

The soup is a Roasted Red Pepper finished with Crème Fraîche, which despite the yummy noises coming from my dining companions I had to forgo as peppers are the second cousin to tomato in my mind. I checked with Chad if we could expect further red soups on the journey and he thought we'd perhaps exhausted that theme.

Miss MJ had been promoting the Salad of Fennel and Apple – shaved Fennel tossed with sliced Granny Smith Applies in a Honey Mustard Vinaigrette as we arrived at the table. And I could understand why, it was clean, fresh with a great piquant dressing and just the perfect little palate cleanser before we hit the main course.

Tonight’s appetizers were a choice between Roasted Striploin served with Caramelized Onion, smashed Potatoes, sautéed Baby Zucchini, then finished with a Green Peppercorn Demi-Glace, Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Breast accompanied with Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes, Haricot Verts, then finished with a Roasted red Pepper Coulis or Pan Seared Salmon served with steamed Jasmine Rice, sautéed Baby Patty Pans, and a Lemon Beurre Blanc. I plumped for the rosy rare striploin and not just because of ‘smashed potatoes’. Though the artichoke stuffed chicken sounded interesting also, apart from the red pepper coulis however. Miss MJ and M chose the salmon and seemed pretty delighted with their choices also.

The grand finale to our first full day on the GrandLuxe and the day I finally got to visit the Grand Canyon was a choice between Key Lime Pie topped with Chantilly Cream or Buttermilk Panna Cotta layered with a Raspberry Champagne Gelée.

Miss MJ and Miss E retired and I tucked into a sliver of Key Lime Pie and M enjoyed the Panna Cotta.

Tomorrow we are heading for Santa Barbara and a spot of wine tasting, not that we’re not getting plenty on the train but when in California...